Blackface costume leads to questions at UF

Published: Monday, October 29, 2012 at 3:42 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, October 29, 2012 at 3:42 p.m.

A photo of University of Florida fraternity members wearing blackface at a Halloween party last week has brought criticism, apologies and a town hall meeting Thursday.

It isn’t the first time a racially insensitive Halloween costume has raised concerns at UF and beyond. Students at Ohio University conducted a campaign last year called “We’re a Culture, Not a Costume” to raise awareness of the issue.

“This comes up like clockwork every year around Halloween across the country at different colleges,” said Katheryn Russell-Brown, UF law professor and director of the Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations.

The issue gains significance at UF at a time when just 10 black students are among the 287 students entering the law school this fall, she said. The problem is not just that people would wear such costumes, she said, but that their friends would not say anything.

“What we’re talking about is not so much whether people can do this ... but what message it sends and what kind of community we want to have,” she said.

Last week’s incident involved a Halloween party with a “rock stars and rappers” theme held off campus Wednesday by the UF chapter of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. A photo was taken of two fraternity members wearing dark paint on their faces and bodies along with baseball caps, gold chains and sagging pants.

The photo was posted the next day on the Facebook page of the Gator chapter of the NAACP, along with the message that “the fact that this is seen as acceptable is where the problem lies!”

The national fraternity, chapter president and fraternity members who wore the costumes subsequently issued apologies.

National fraternity spokesman Martin Cobb noted that the UF chapter has “dozens of members ... who are African-American, Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern and other ethnicities” among its 180 members.

The members who wore the costumes said in their statement that it was “a very ignorant and poor decision” and they didn’t know the history of blackface.

“At no point in time were we ever trying to negatively portray African-American stereotypes,” they said. “We have since learned about the history of ‘blackface’ and fully understand how our actions were insulting to the African-American community.”

Performers wore blackface to perpetuate stereotypes in minstrel shows in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It wasn’t the first time blackface costumes at UF drew criticism.

Last year, the website Alligator Army reported that a UF softball player used Twitter to send a picture of people donning blackface for costumes of Gator football players. The photo and a link to the story were posted on the Gator NAACP Facebook page following the recent incident.

The incident comes as the Levin College of Law has seen a declining enrollment of black students. The college’s dean attributes the drop in part due to budget cuts preventing it from offering competitive financial aid.

The incident is expected to be discussed Tuesday night at a meeting of the UF Student Senate. UF is holding a town hall meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Reitz Union’s Rion Ballroom to discuss the incident and related issues.

UF President Bernie Machen issued a statement saying that demeaning any individual on the basis of race is contrary to the university’s non-discrimination policy .

“I personally believe that demeaning any race is intolerable and completely counter to the welcoming and inclusive environment that UF has created for its broadly diverse campus community,” he said.

Students at Ohio University launched the “We’re a Culture, Not a Costume” campaign last fall to discourage students from wearing racially insensitive costumes. The campaign features ads of students with examples of such costumes, such as an Asian student holding a photo of a Geisha costume and a black student holding a photo of someone in blackface.

Russell-Brown said she thinks that educating students would discourage such costumes.

“I’m convinced that once people know just a little bit about the history, they’re just much more sensitized,” she said.

Contact staff reporter Nathan Crabbe at 338-3176 or nathan.crabbe@gvillesun.com. Visit www.thecampussun.com for more stories on the University of Florida.

<p>A photo of University of Florida fraternity members wearing blackface at a Halloween party last week has brought criticism, apologies and a town hall meeting Thursday.</p><p>It isn't the first time a racially insensitive Halloween costume has raised concerns at UF and beyond. Students at Ohio University conducted a campaign last year called “We're a Culture, Not a Costume” to raise awareness of the issue.</p><p>“This comes up like clockwork every year around Halloween across the country at different colleges,” said Katheryn Russell-Brown, UF law professor and director of the Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations.</p><p>The issue gains significance at UF at a time when just 10 black students are among the 287 students entering the law school this fall, she said. The problem is not just that people would wear such costumes, she said, but that their friends would not say anything.</p><p>“What we're talking about is not so much whether people can do this ... but what message it sends and what kind of community we want to have,” she said.</p><p>Last week's incident involved a Halloween party with a “rock stars and rappers” theme held off campus Wednesday by the UF chapter of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. A photo was taken of two fraternity members wearing dark paint on their faces and bodies along with baseball caps, gold chains and sagging pants.</p><p>The photo was posted the next day on the Facebook page of the Gator chapter of the NAACP, along with the message that “the fact that this is seen as acceptable is where the problem lies!”</p><p>The national fraternity, chapter president and fraternity members who wore the costumes subsequently issued apologies.</p><p>National fraternity spokesman Martin Cobb noted that the UF chapter has “dozens of members ... who are African-American, Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern and other ethnicities” among its 180 members.</p><p>The members who wore the costumes said in their statement that it was “a very ignorant and poor decision” and they didn't know the history of blackface.</p><p>“At no point in time were we ever trying to negatively portray African-American stereotypes,” they said. “We have since learned about the history of 'blackface' and fully understand how our actions were insulting to the African-American community.”</p><p>Performers wore blackface to perpetuate stereotypes in minstrel shows in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It wasn't the first time blackface costumes at UF drew criticism.</p><p>Last year, the website Alligator Army reported that a UF softball player used Twitter to send a picture of people donning blackface for costumes of Gator football players. The photo and a link to the story were posted on the Gator NAACP Facebook page following the recent incident.</p><p>The incident comes as the Levin College of Law has seen a declining enrollment of black students. The college's dean attributes the drop in part due to budget cuts preventing it from offering competitive financial aid.</p><p>The incident is expected to be discussed Tuesday night at a meeting of the UF Student Senate. UF is holding a town hall meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Reitz Union's Rion Ballroom to discuss the incident and related issues.</p><p>UF President Bernie Machen issued a statement saying that demeaning any individual on the basis of race is contrary to the university's non-discrimination policy .</p><p>“I personally believe that demeaning any race is intolerable and completely counter to the welcoming and inclusive environment that UF has created for its broadly diverse campus community,” he said.</p><p>Students at Ohio University launched the “We're a Culture, Not a Costume” campaign last fall to discourage students from wearing racially insensitive costumes. The campaign features ads of students with examples of such costumes, such as an Asian student holding a photo of a Geisha costume and a black student holding a photo of someone in blackface.</p><p>Russell-Brown said she thinks that educating students would discourage such costumes.</p><p>“I'm convinced that once people know just a little bit about the history, they're just much more sensitized,” she said.</p><p><i>Contact staff reporter Nathan Crabbe at 338-3176 or nathan.crabbe@gvillesun.com. Visit www.thecampussun.com for more stories on the University of Florida.</i></p>